That Final Sunset
That Final Sunset: The Eschatology of the High Church of Messiah-as-Emperox The Eschatology of the High Church is the particular theology associated with the end of days. Whilst there might be some small, local level myths and theories pertaining to this, ‘The Book of the Lost Shepherd’ (also known as ‘That Final Sunset’) is the most prevalent within the sector. It has many different interpretations within the High Church itself (as detailed below) and is the only recognised version of doctrine relating to the subject of the end of days. Overview The Book of the Lost Shepherd was written by one of the High Exarchs after The Scream . Its authenticity has been verified as originating from that time period, although the exact author remains unknown. The only detail which confirms that this is a work from a High Exarch is that it was handwritten on paper taken from the stationery of the High Exarch’s office. The book itself is short at only 3 pages long, and details a holy vision gifted to the author by God concerning the end of humanity. It talks of one final battle, in which all of Humanity will side with the Ten Virtues and fight against the Ten Unholy Vices and their army of unholy creatures. Humanity will stand strong, and on the tenth assault, they will force the enemy to retreat. Humanity and the Virtues will celebrate, and unbeknownst to them, this will allow the Vices Corruption and Perfidy to infiltrate their camp. In time, they will corrupt one individual, who will then kill the young Virtue Hope as she goes down the frontline and blesses Humanity. Without Hope, the army of God will be destroyed, and the Vices will feast on the bodies of the dead. Unsatiated, they will continue their horrific march into The After, where they will consume the souls of the dead, and when that is done, only then will they consume themselves, marking the end of everything. Full Text The full version can be found here. Interpretations Interpretations of the text vary widely amongst the various Branches of the Faithful. Those within the Orthodoxy branch believe this to be a factual vision, the only detail of which that is available for discussion is when this will occur. They believe that this event is inevitable. Conservatives would tend to agree with the Orthodoxy, although they continue to search the Sacred Texts and other supporting documentation at the time to try and determine other details, such as what Humanity could do to avoid or delay this from occurring. Masoodites not only believe that this event will occur, but that The High Exarch Masood al-Anwar, whom the branch reveres, will lead the army of God. They speculate that Masood will play a prominent part at the end of days, with some even thinking that Masood is the human that causes the downfall of Humanity. Reformists see this as both a cautionary tale and as an allegory for a large scale social and immoral decline in Humanity, not necessarily as an actual event which is likely to occur. Karmists would add that this event could be avoided by living a pure life on the road to reincarnation. Dedicated to non-interference, Observers take no sides on the matter, simply watching and waiting for those to occur, should God will it. Purists see this as justification for their staunch anti-alien stance, noting that many of the creatures within the vision were alien in nature. They see it as justification for their beliefs that Humanity is the supreme being within the Sector. In being so, in the light of God, they have drawn the attention of all that is unholy. As Crusaders and Guardians tend to be recruited from any of the branches noted above, they do not have their own overarching beliefs concerning the matter, although if asked, both will tell you that it is That Final Sunset that they are training for. Beliefs and Rhetoric Despite its broad views on the document itself, the High Church has often pointed to its contents as justification for the suppression of alien creatures within Acheron Rho, often at the behest of high ranking Purists within the Church. It is one of the key pieces of The Sacred Texts that the Council of Exarchs are able to use to justify any and all of their actions, given the presence of the Vices within the document. Category:The High Church of Messiah-as-Emperox